Radiant
by Captain Arbitrary
Summary: Aerith's spirit can often be found lingering in her church. Cloud has been visiting her there for many years. Can he see her standing by his side, or is she invisible to his eyes? CloudxAerith


This is dedicated to my grandmother, who recently passed away. The ones we love never really leave us, and I wanted to write a new story to convey that. I truly hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thanks!

Pairing: Cloud x Aerith

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, the setting or Final Fantasy.

* * *

><p>Many years have passed since their journey, but Cloud has never stopped coming to visit the church in the Sector 5 Slums. He doesn't stop by every day, she notices, but when he does, he takes his time carefully surveying her lilies before quietly sitting himself down in a pew to rest his weary soul. Engaging in this meditative ritual is what allows him to be alone for a few moments, away from everyone and everything, with his thoughts and precious memories to keep him company.<p>

Sitting beside him, she wonders if he really thinks he's alone, or if he just pretends to be. He's not as readable as he used to be. Still, Aerith can tell he isn't suffering anymore, and that he has long since come to terms with himself and his past. She's happy for him, and everything is as it should be. But more than anything, she's happy that he still honors her memory.

Just as he continues to visit her, Aerith continues to keep track of all the small changes that have been made in her absence. Those tiny tufts of blond hair adorning his chin, or those creasing wrinkles, some now etched into his forehead, and perhaps most notably the intensity of sapphire in his eyes subtly dulling to a calmer shade of blue. Little changes, she reasons, because Cloud is still Cloud underneath it all.

Unlike herself—always the same old flower girl, just the way he remembered her.

Compared to him, she looks as youthful as ever. As if they weren't already separated by death, they were definitely distinctive in age. She couldn't contain herself at the thought of Cloud resembling a man who looked as though he could be her father. Her delightful, breathless laughter echoed through the desolate halls of the church, and yet no sound of such laughter could pierce his ears. Upon realizing this, she stopped and continued to study him, eagerly awaiting some sort of reaction that she knew would never come.

"As always." Aerith whispered, with a growing smile. "Ignorance is bliss, I suppose."

Cloud continued to sit there in a meditative silence, elbows resting upon his knees as his hands formed a bridge where his scratchy chin perched itself. Aerith leaned in closely and giggled when she thought she saw his lips quirk up ever so slightly, though his eyes remained closed.

"_You know he can't hear you, right?"_

"He has in the past, silly…" Aerith answered the voice back as she tilted her head to the side, resting her cheek upon Cloud's broad shoulder. She absently began to run her fingers through those spiky blonde locks of hair that, to him, felt like nothing at all. "He must be getting on in his years."

"_Must be, the old bat!"_ The voice replied, stifling a chuckle.

"Those memories are fading away." The flower girl murmured softly. "You're letting go. That's a good sign."

"_When you've lived long enough, everything changes. Even memories aren't as clear as the day they were made. Remember, Cloud's an old man now."_

"How old are you now, Cloud?" She breathed, eyelids growing heavier. "Are you too old for me, yet?"

"Not yet." He replied hoarsely.

Aerith's eyes snapped open. She froze in place, wondering if she had just dreamed him answering her back or if, by some miracle, he—

"Well hurry it up, Cloud! Everyone's waiting outside!" A lively voice that Aerith recognized as Tifa's called out from the back of the church. There was a long and heavy moment of silence before she picked up the sound of footsteps exiting out the way they came, leaving the door ajar.

Aerith and Cloud sighed in unison. The young flower girl closed her eyes and quietly removed herself from the man she loved while he withdrew his arms from their stiff position, absently scratching the back of his head.

"Sorry I messed up your hair." She forced a smile, pretending as if she had. She had been playing with his hair a lot lately, and yet her hands always went through it as if it were nothing at all. The truth is, she could only picture what it felt like through her memories. "You better not keep them waiting."

Cloud grunted and murmured under his breath as his lifted his weary body off the pew, making his way over to the flowerbed. There was a noticeable limp in his step. Aerith rose from her seat as well and silently glided over to where he now stood with a lowered gaze.

"You did a great job." She remarked, surveying the new set of flowers he had planted in her absence. After Geostigma had been taken care of, the water had gradually receded into the planet, and the soil had been renewed once more. "They look even better then when I was here."

"...could use more fertilizer…" He pondered aloud, scratching his hairy chin.

"Maybe." Aerith nodded. "Though something tells me… that these flowers will continue blooming on their own, for a very long time."

Cloud didn't answer her then, or say anything at all. Instead, he closed his eyes and inhaled softly through his nose. The distinctive scent of Madonna lilies and raindrops, falling from the open ceiling, reminded him of a time long past.

"Aerith." He breathed out, moments later. All of these things reminded him of her. It comforted and suffocated him to know that she was still with him in everything around him, here in this sacred place.

"I'm here." She placed her hand on his arm, clutching it gently. "I'm always here for you, Cloud."

Without warning, the older man turned and began to walk away. Aerith's grip on his arm went right through his skin like a chilled, autumn wind. Aerith understood perfectly that there were some boundaries that simply couldn't be crossed. They were worlds apart now; they had been for so long. She couldn't make him stay, as much as she wanted him to.

And yet she never stopped dreaming of that one day he would notice her out of the corner of his eye, that one day when they could carry on as they were. It seemed as if she had entered his life only to say goodbye, and it hurt her to know that he had touched her life in such a way that an eternity in paradise without him had become a punishment unto itself. She certainly didn't feel like she had found her Promised Land, at least not yet. Perhaps she would not be able to find it until _all_ of the pieces had come together? After all, it was Cloud who said that he would meet her there.

Aerith continued to watch her former companion make his way down the aisle. A shaft of light from the ceiling illuminated the spot where she could have been standing at this very moment, ready for him to take her into his arms. But… that life was not meant to be.

"_Looks like it's the other way around now."_

The voice from before had materialized into a transparent form, resembling another prominent figure from her past. He had been watching from the shadows the entire time, and he would be here for her whenever she needed a shoulder to cry on.

"So it seems." Aerith lowered her gaze, remembering that day when Cloud had to watch her walk out of his life. She was trying so hard to be strong. It just wasn't fair. "I'll be alright. Don't worry about me."

"You sure?"

"Yeah." She answered slowly, the edges of her lips tugging into a smile. "To tell you the truth, I'm really happy for Cloud. Look at the life he's made for himself."

Her eyes began to glaze over as she studied his retreating form. He looked positively radiant to her. If she didn't know any better, she'd say that he was glowing, or perhaps that was just the sunlight peaking in through the open door. But something about him had definitely changed over the years. He looked poised, confident and warm. She could see that he was truly at peace with himself.

"I'll be waiting for you, Cloud." She called out to him, waving goodbye. With tears rolling down her cheeks, she began to picture the life that awaited them once it came time for him to return to the planet. That time was not now, but it never stopped her from dreaming.

"I love you."

Cloud abruptly stopped before the door, turning his head to look back. The church was empty, not a soul in sight, and yet he continued to feel the presence of something around him. He smiled. He knew for sure that he hadn't been hearing things.

It had to have been her. It always was, and always would be.

"Aerith." He called out her name in reply, his eyes filled with warmth and adoration for her memory. "I love you, too. I'll meet you there."


End file.
